3rd and Final Future of Works Summit to feature Global Leaders
Updated: Jan 23
Join Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman as the Louisville Future of Work Initiative comes to a close at the Muhammad Ali Center during our 3rd and final Future of Work Summit: Placemaking in AI and Data Science. Attendees will leave with the Initiative’s insights that can be leveraged within their own organizations as well as knowledge from other strategic thinkers and doers.
Global and national business leaders from Microsoft, Brookings Institution, GE Appliances, and Accelerator for America as well as Louisville business and community leaders from Net Results Group, Louisville Metro Government, El Toro, Humana, Waystar, Dean Dorton, Interapt, Code Louisville, HJI Supply Chain Solutions, KentuckianaWorks, AMPED, Metro United Way, American Printing House, Louisville Urban League University of Louisville will speak on topics such as:
Attracting a Diverse Workforce
Broadening Your Pool of Data And AI Job Applicants
Leveraging Data To Advance Social Justice
Diversifying and Training Louisville's Workforce
Skills Learned in Nontraditional Programs
The Future of Work - The Future of Us
Leveraging Data To Grow Your Business
Growing Louisville's Tech Ecosystem
Advancing the The Data Ecosystem Through Public/Private Partnerships
Getting Started with Microsoft PowerBI
Beyond Screen: How Blind and Visually Impaired Peoples Can Charge (or Change) and Industry
The event will also reveal the Initiative’s final impact report and include a message from two of the individuals who played integral roles in Microsoft’s Louisville Investment: Lina Feng, Director of Microsoft GTM at GitHub, and Raamel Mitchell, Global Director of Microsoft’s Black Partner Growth Initiative.
In 2021, the Brookings Institution along with the Initiative and Louisville Metro Government created a strategic roadmap, “How Louisville Can Become a Stronger and More Equitable Hub for AI and Data Economy Jobs.” The report pointed to multiple strategies for the region to pursue. The Initiative focused specifically on workforce development with an emphasis on broadening and diversifying Louisville’s tech talent pipeline. With an initial award of just under $1 million from Microsoft, plus subsequent smaller grants from JPMorganChase, Rockefeller Foundation, Adecco, Bloomberg, and Humana, the Initiative has worked to bolster the efforts of all components of Louisville's data ecosystem. The list of accomplishments includes:
Holding over 90 gatherings and engaging over 10,000 Louisville residents in our events and trainings.
Responding to COVID-19, resulting in over 3,000 residents engaged in data analytics/technology upskilling and over 700 badges earned, with support from community partners and Microsoft.
Empowering Louisvillians to earn over 2,500 industry-recognized credentials/badges.
Creating 2 equity-focused data science pathways/majors: ID+ Academy, in partnership with JCPS, and a Computer Information Systems major, in partnership with Simmons College of Kentucky, Louisville’s Historically Black College and University.
Including intentionality in our design, ensuring underrepresented groups in technology made up the majority of our participants - Black people were the majority of our racial demographic population and in White, Black, and Latinx demographics, women outnumbered men. Additionally, trans/non-binary/gender variant/non-conforming group participation was 3 times higher than their population density.
Creating The Butterfly Project, which earned Louisville the distinction of Champion City in the Bloomberg Mayors’ Challenge, one of 50 cities selected from over 650 cities from around the world.
Piloting Data Boss, a program that helped underrepresented groups in computer science gain valuable experience - 83% of participants were offered jobs in data analytics.
“The past 3 years have served as an opportunity to pilot our efforts, with results that will move us forward in situating Louisville’s place in the data economy,” said Alisi
a McClain, Executive Director of the Louisville Future of Work Initiative. “Even though this iteration of the Future of Work is closing, there is tremendous opportunity to scale and diversify our efforts, in partnership with the Louisville business community.”
Read more about the conference speakers and the agenda here.
The Louisville Future of Work Initiative (the Initiative) was founded in 2019 through a joint partnership with Microsoft and Louisville Metro Government to prepare the city of Louisville for innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the internet of things. https://www.futurelou.com/
The Summit is free, however, reservations are required.